Encounter at Firewing
by Tason34
Summary: Takurai, a Blood Elf Paladin, travels to Firewing point. What he sees there will change him forever.


I"But…why…? Why?!"

"… …and your parents… …life will go on…sister…"/I

Takurai stopped the Charger, sliding down. He was distracted, and despite the tranquility of the Forest, dangers lurked in the shadows, and being distracted would mean certain death. Kneeling before a stream, he reached for something to carry the water in, but his reflection caught his eye. His hair, which at the behest of his sister, had been properly groomed daily, was now dirty and frayed, with what looked like a spot of blood in it, no doubt from a heavy whack he had experienced a few days back. Removing the faceplate, he gingerly felt the area. Indeed, the was a bump there. Placing his fingers on the top, he focused, calling on the Light and using it to heal the injury. Although perhaps another Blood Knight would have done it another way, Takurai tried to act in unison with the Light, even if it didn't seem to be reciprocating every time. Returning his vision to the water, the same thing drew his attention as always: The once blue eyes, now a shimmering green. Every time he saw another Blood Elf, for just a split second he would dwell on those eyes. Fel Magic, they told him, was the reason. A new source of magic, to replace the Sunwell…In more ways then one, the loss of the Sunwell had changed him.

"It's pointless, you know." a voice behind him caused him to whip up his faceplate and turn around, ready to draw his sword. The figure behind him was in the shadows, so he didn't get a clear look, but they seemed to be wearing black armor, and a heavy helm. "The Children of the Blood are falling down a dark path, one the Orcs know all too well."

"Who are you, and what do you mean?" He asked the figure, hand on the hilt of his sword "What path?"

"Demonics. Your 'prince' is not the honest man you think him to be. In fact-" Takurai had his sword at their neck by then. "Silence! I have no desire to listen to lies!"

"You don't have to." the figure responded quietly "You were going to Firewing point, correct? You'll see." With that, they turned and walked out of sight.

"What was that about…?" he muttered to himself, setting the faceplate back. He ran towards the trees the figure had vanished in, but all he discovered was an annoyed animal or two. He turned his view towards the Elven buildings that dominated the landscape. Firewing Point. Deciding to go along with the figure for now, he called the Charger, hopped on, and galloped towards the gates.

Two Blood Elves…that was all that guarded the gate. But Takurai suspected that walking up to them wouldn't work out well. Checking his armor, he clanked up to the entrance. For just a moment, one that lasted hours for him, the two elves did a double take, as if they couldn't believe one of their own kind was marching up the path armed to fight them. But they recovered rather quickly, pulling out swords and charging at him. Takurai sighed inwardly, he had hoped to do this a bit quieter. Nonetheless, he dispatched the first guard quickly with a strike imbued with Holy magic. The second one, seeing the mana flow around him…tapped it. This threw him off balance, he wasn't used to his magic being assaulted. Turning around quickly and using the momentum to drive his strike, he returned the favor, and used the distraction to finish off the second guard.

"So." he said to no one in particular "Seems as if half the fight here is going to be control of Mana itself. Interesting." Bracing himself, he advanced up the path. What met him…shocked him.

A floating sphere, with several Mages, or perhaps Warlocks, channeling energy into it. The material sent him back to a few days before. A thicket of dead druids. Of rather aggressive butterflies. And that strange aura…whatever caused that, it looked like these blood elves were gearing up for round two. So many elves had fallen down the path of darkness…Keal'thas would not be happy about this…unless…he pushed the thought away. A lie.

Scanning the outpost, he picked out the tallest and most impressive building. The leader of these elves would no doubt be there, and he intended to get the disarm switch or whatever and shut down this thing before they hurt someone.

Sometime later, sporting more injurys and leaving behind a small pile of bodies, he marched into what he had come to call the command center. Instantly, another blood elf rushed to meet him, preparing a rather nasty spell. But by now, Takurai was used to that, and released the arcane energy flowing around him, disrupting the casters mana flow. Without his spells, Takurai made short work of him, rushing up the staircase…

IRushing up the staircase…where were they? They were alright, right? Of course they were alright. They couldn't leave him. He stopped at the door. His sister, standing there…he ignored what it meant, pushing at the door. "Tak…no. They're…" his sister sobbed. The strong mage, the top of her class, his big sister. Even then, he didn't believe. His parents couldn't be…he shoved open the door…/I

…He stopped at the top. No one was there to greet him. Had he been wrong? Perhaps the commander was strolling alongside the rebels. Looking around, he cracked half a smile. A translocation orb. Naturally. He had seen and used quite a few back in Quel'thalas, so operating this one was nothing. As it deposited him at the other end, he heard voices upstairs. He moved quietly, thinking they were discussing the bomb. He was right…

"…the test on those accursed druids went well. We're preparing the second bomb to deal with those other meddlers." came the first voice, the commander, reporting to his superior. The second one chilled him to the core.

"Good. Make sure you don't fail. Kael'thas does not tolerate failure." A moment replayed in his head, from shortly after arriving in Outland… "KAEL'THAS COMMANDS YOU TO STOP THIS INCURSION!"

Abandoning all pretense, he scrambled up the remaining steps, much to the surprise of the two men. Grabbing the first weapon on hand, the nicked Blood Tempered Ransuer, he charged at the one who had mentioned the prince. To his surprise, he went right through. IAn illusion?/I he thought, surprised.

"Ah…a visitor. I remember this one. Deal with him quickly and proceed with the plan." the image said, vanishing much to Takurais surprise. The commander pulled out a spear…one that mirrored the one in Takurais hand. His surprise allowed the Blood Knight to knock him off balance. Recovering quickly, he knocked the next blow aside. He wasn't as used to fighting with a spear as he was fighting with something in one hand and a shield in the other, but he was no slouch either. So even though he was beginning to falter, the opposing Blood Knight was growing equally tired. It looked as if Takurai was about to get the upper hand and finish it, when something that should not have happened in a thousand years occurred.

The Spear shattered. Forged of ingots tempered in demon blood, and it crumbled like rusted iron. Takurai stared in shock at the pieces of metal in his hand; the spear he had worked so hard to aquire…shattered. Seeing his chance, the Blood Knight brought his spear down to strike the final blow. Not even thinking, Takurai called upon the Light to help him. Much to his surprise, it responded in force. Guiding it-or was it guiding him?-he sent a blast of the Light right into the Knights face. His turn to be shocked, he muttered "What…?" toppling over. Tossing aside the broken spear, Takurai walked over, checking the body to make sure he was really dead. A parchment stuck out of his shirt. Gingerly reaching in, Takurai tugged it loose, reading it over. It was the code to fire the bomb! He could dispose of the bomb, and the people responsible for it, in one fell swoop. Stepping around the body, he rushed to the orb. He'd have to do it before they charged it enough to cause any damage outside the area. Luckily, reinforcements hadn't been sent yet, so he reached the bomb without any trouble. Tapping in the code, he was setting a one minute charge, when a blast of energy sent him reeling. Ah, there were the reinforcements. He ran down the path, hoping they'd be more interested in the bomb. Luckily, he was right. Unluckily for them, it was too late to stop the detonation. The blast wiped out anyone in the area who used mana, which was everyone, and knocked Takurai to the ground. Picking himself up, he turned toward the area of Shattrath.

As he stepped into the energy field again, he shivered, and this time not just from the effects of the aura on his mana. He looked around at all of the death caused by Kaels new weapon, dropped to his knees, and sobbed. Because of him. Because he shut down the first experiment, Kael chose to test the new one on the people he thought stopped him. It wasn't fair.

I"It's not fair!" Takurai cried, tears rolling down his cheeks. He knew this was unbecoming of a High Elf, but he didn't care. His parents were dead from some rare disease, and he was alive. It simply wasn't fair. His sister was there, comforting him. But it wasn't helping. Not until she told him "Tak…you're still here. You're still alive. You can make yourself into something Mom and Dad would be proud of." It was then, perhaps, that his idle dream of joining the Knights of the Silver Hand became more of an ambition. A goal. He would do it…for his parents./I

"There was nothing you could have done." that same voice…for a second, he thought perhaps his sister…turning, he saw. A black clad figure, with a long sword dangling at it's side. Male or Female, Takurai couldn't make out, the heavy helm muffled the voice. The same one that directed him to see what he saw. Standing, he wiped his eyes, shaking his head. "I should have believed at first. Perhaps I could have-""Died with them?" The figure asked cooly, walking past him. "What would that serve?"

"I'm going to kill him." Takurai said softly. "I'll make Kael'thas pay." Surprisingly, the figure just stood there for what seemed like a long time. He added "He has caused too much pain. Too much sorrow."

The figure walked out the other side of the building. Before vanishing again, they spoke "I watched the battle. You wielded the Light better then any Blood Knight before you."

As they vanished into the trees, Takurai looked down at his tabard before pulling it up over his head. "I am no Blood Knight." Folding it around the shards of his spear, he laid it down in the center of the floor. He would avenge the murder of the druids. So he swore. He walked out of the ruins, and turned towards Stonebreaker Hold to inform the commanders.

She watched the young Paladin leave the thicket. She had been called Dawn, once, before. Now she had no name but Death for the enemies of her master. Even now, she could hear whispers. A harsh master calling her back to a harsh land. But she lingered for a moment longer. What could be called a shadow of a smile crossed her face. "Know Darkness, young Takurai. Not the power of demons to kill, but the power of the heart, to hate." With that, she turned, and left.


End file.
